Beginning of the End
by Dumbledores Doll
Summary: Albus has a proposition for Minerva. Will she take him up on it, against her better judgment? Sorry...I suck at summaries! :
1. Beginning of the End

A/N: I don't own any of this. If I did, 1) the actual stories would have gone another way totally, and 2) I wouldn't be posting here. I'd be sitting in my castle, counting my money.

This is my first attempt at posting a fic. Let me know what you think. If it's negative, just be sure it's constructive...I appreciate that! I also wrote this at 3:00am, when I woke up and this hit me. Therefore, I REALLY hope it makes sense. :) I hope you enjoy at least some of it!

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It was Friday evening. Up at the Head Table, Albus Dumbledore leaned slightly to his right, positioning himself as closely to the Transfiguration professor's ear as possible…without being too conspicuous, of course.

'Minerva, may I ask you to come to my rooms after dinner?' He whispered, hoping that the answer would be an instantaneous 'yes', thereby not necessitating any further explanation - for now - on his part.

'That's not a problem, Albus,' came the reply. 'But do you really want me to come to your private rooms? Wouldn't a conference in your office be more…appropriate?'

'No, Minerva. I assure you that my rooms would provide a much better atmosphere for what we have to discuss.' He straightened himself up at this point, as if indicating that there was to be no more discussion about the meeting place.

Minerva spent the entire rest of the meal in slightly apprehensive silence, pondering what the meeting was going to be about. Certainly it must be because of her rather out of character behaviour at the staff party the week before. Out of character, yes…but not really so much so perhaps, as anyone who had seen Minerva McGonagall under the influence of alcohol could tell you.

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'Come on Albus,' Minerva demanded, pulling the Deputy Headmaster along the now deserted corridors, towards her room. 'You made me leave that godforsaken party early…now you must pay the penalty.'

'I assure you, Minerva, I am merely looking out for your welfare.' He offered this up to her for what seemed to be the 11,000th time. She had consumed far too many firewhiskey's, and had to be physically pried away from Professor Slughorn. Minerva was determined to dance, and since Albus had turned her down, certainly Horace would be amenable? 'The way that you came on to Horace Slughorn was a disgrace,' he continued bitterly. 'Someone had to get you to leave, before you ended up doing something that you would regret. 'Sluggy' indeed.'

'He didn't seem to mind though, did he?' Minerva shot back angrily. She stopped short in the hallway, and glared up at Dumbledore. 'All I wanted to do was dance, and you turned me down flat. And I'll have you know that Poppy informed me that Rolanda informed HER that Sluggy has quite a crush on me.' She gave a bitter smile. 'Certainly that doesn't bother YOU, does it, Professor Dumbledore?'

Albus took a sharp breath and then began to drag HER down the corridor, buying himself time to compose himself. 'Of course not, Professor McGonagall.' He emphasized her title ever so slightly. 'You are a single witch, able to do whatever you want with WHOMEVER you want. I was just making certain that you didn't DO whatever you want, right there in the staff room.'

Minerva froze slightly. What she was about to say was wrong…terribly wrong. But, fortified by the

firewhiskey, she moved bravely forward. She wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing, after all. 'I wish it WOULD bother you, Albus. But it doesn't.' They had stopped in front of the door to her rooms. 'Just so you know,' she breathed deeply, and pulled her hand out of Albus' larger one, though never moving her eyes from his. 'I love you, Albus Dumbledore. I always have, and I always will. But since I cannot HAVE you…I will move forward with my life as I see fit. I realise that you don't necessarily feel the same way about me, and if you did…it wouldn't work - for obvious reasons.' At that, Albus shifted his eyes guiltily away from hers, and Minerva felt herself turn red. 'But I had to say it. I did, and it's over with. Good night Albus.' Impulsively, she reached her hands up to his face, and turned it to look at hers, before pulling with all her strength, and kissing him deeply on the mouth.

Before Albus could say a word, she had slipped into her rooms, muttered both locking and silencing charms, and run into her bedroom. She swayed slightly before grabbing a potion off her nightstand that would clear her head, help with any semblance of a hangover she would have in the morning, and also give her enough clarity to cause her to mentally berate herself for her actions for the better part of the remaining night and morning, before falling into an extremely fitful sleep.

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Dinner was finally over, and Albus once again leaned over to speak with Minerva. 'I trust that I'll see you in my chambers in 10 minutes then?' He whispered before standing rather abruptly, and excusing himself from the table.

She watched him walk away, and sighed once again. _I wonder if he'll at least let me keep my position, _she thought. Certainly Albus couldn't dismiss her for something she had done while under the influence…could he? At least it hadn't been done in front of the staff. _And really, my behaviour prior to that was no worse than the time at the last staff function that Rolanda decided to fly around the Quidditch pitch wearing nothing but her undergarments! At least the students have all gone home for the end of term. _Fortified by that thought, she made her way through the castle towards the Deputy Headmaster's chambers.

Minerva gave the password, and watched as a section of the wall slid slowly open. Pushing through without waiting for it to open completely, she found herself suddenly at Dumbledore's door. Her courage left her for a moment, but after closing her eyes and talking herself into it, her courage suddenly returned to her, and she gave three brisk knocks. The door opened automatically, and she found herself in a beautifully decorated room of deepest red and dark wood. 'Albus?' She called softly. 'Here, Minerva.' Came the reply, as Albus stepped through a door at the far side of the room that she knew led to his bedroom.

'You said that you needed to speak to me?' She prompted. 'Yes, I did indeed. Please come and sit down.' He had made his way to a rather comfortable looking couch, and patted the seat next to him. 'You and I need to talk. Quite seriously, actually.' Minerva sat tentatively next to Albus, and though she found it difficult, she somehow managed to look him directly in the face. Blue eyes met green, and she thought she saw a brief spark of something there, though it quickly faded. 'I guess you know that I needed to speak with you about what happened when we…the other night,' he amended. 'Look Albus, I'm terribly sorry. You know how I get when I drink too much alcohol. It's the curse of all the McGonagall's. We make total asses out of ourselves.' Minerva turned red as she thought back once again on her behaviour. 'Minerva, I cannot stress to you how inappropriate your actions were. Should someone have seen us, it would have been very bad. I don't know what would have happened to you, but you do realize that I would most likely have been dismissed.'

'God, Albus…you wouldn't have been dismissed! You didn't even DO anything!' She protested.

'Would you have wanted me to, Minerva? Honestly?' His gaze never left her face, though his expression was quite unreadable.

'Honestly?' She thought for a moment before replying. _Shut your mouth, Minerva, _she thought. _If you answer honestly, the answer is 'yes'…but it's still wrong! Ignoring the voice in her head, Minerva plowed ahead. 'I suppose so, Albus. Yes. Though what it is that I would want you to do, I'm sure I don't know.'_

'_Would it bother you to know,' Albus said softly, 'that I would very much have LIKED to have done something? Though truthfully,' he smiled wryly and continued, 'you didn't exactly give me the chance to, did you?' 'No, I suppose not. But Albus…what are you getting at?' Minerva asked quietly. 'You know very well that you and I can't…it's just not right.'_

'_What I'm 'getting at', is that I want…I would like very much for you to become my lover, Minerva.' Albus' dark blue eyes got even darker, and she found herself feeling as if she were drowning in them. _

_Had he misread her? Had she really just been intoxicated, and not meant a word of what she had said? Albus drew himself away from her, but continued to look directly into her eyes. 'Minerva, if I've misunderstood your actions, then you need say no more. I want you to know that no matter what we do…or DON'T do…you will still be my friend, first and foremost. You will always have my friendship.'_

'_I know that, Albus. And you shall always have mine as well. But even YOU have to admit…there are more than a few complications that come along with that offer. First of all, I have a question for you,' she pressed on, trying to get everything out before she lost her nerve. 'Why now…why all of a sudden?'_

'_Well my dear, I can't say that this is QUITE as sudden as you think. I fear that I first found myself attracted to you when you were about 16 years old-'_

'_Pedophile,' she smirked, interrupting him._

_Albus had to laugh at that. 'Hardly a pedophile, Minerva. You were technically of age-'_

'_Technically being the operative word, of course.'_

'_You were no normal teenager anyway. And it's not as if I acted on those feelings, is it? I think my feelings deepened a few years ago, when you consented to become a member of the staff here. For the obvious reasons, I still couldn't act on those emotions; but that is not to say that they weren't there.'_

'_All right Albus…I'll buy that. But why ME of all people? I've seen the myriad owls that you get from women…there must be SCORES of them. Certainly you could have your choice of any woman that you wanted! Ones that wouldn't care that you're…' She stopped here, not wanting to say the word that followed. In her heart, she knew how she wanted him to respond to her query, and in this, she was not disappointed. 'I don't WANT those women, Minerva. I only want you. I have ALWAYS only wanted you.'_

_Minerva set her mouth in a rather grim line. 'Really? Only me, huh? Somehow, I doubt that. However. Moving on; I'm going to assume that the Ministry frowns on staff members being involved. How would you get around THAT, exactly?' Albus found it necessary to laugh once again. 'It's not really frowned upon, my dear. Actually, as long as it doesn't interfere with our working relationship, they rather leave it up to the individuals to act as they see fit. I can't tell you how many Headmasters and Headmistresses were involved with members of the staff. Then, too, I'm only the Deputy at this point; I can't see how it would matter.' He fixed her with another intense gaze. 'Now I'M going to assume something. I'm going to assume that none of those things that you mentioned is your real issue, is it? The real issue is-'_

'_The fact that you're married, yes. And to Armando's daughter, no less. You commented earlier about my 'inappropriate behaviour'…about what would have happened if someone had seen us. But what do you suppose would happen if Armando, our BOSS, found out that you were cheating on his daughter with me? Do you honestly think that would go over well? Or that either you OR I would be able to keep our job?' Minerva found that no matter what she said, she didn't really want to discuss this point, for Albus was quite right. This WAS her real issue, and no matter what she felt for Albus - or he for her - in her heart she knew that it wouldn't be right._

_Albus reached out and took Minerva's hand, and began rubbing slow circles on her palm with his thumb. 'Minerva, I was practically FORCED into marrying Arabella…I don't know if you ever knew that. Not many people did. Bella had been after me for quite some time, and I have to admit that at first, her attentions were quite flattering. But then she became rather tiresome; I couldn't even have a halfway intelligent conversation with her, because she was so vapid. Stupidly, instead of explaining to her that we had grown apart, I did the cowardly thing and pulled away emotionally, which upset her greatly. She had her father's ear, and convinced him that I wanted to marry her, but that I was hesitant to do so, because I was afraid to do anything to jeopardize my position at the school. When he broached the subject of marriage, I balked, and insisted that I had no such intentions towards his daughter. Armando…was very much offended, and advised me that I had led his daughter on terribly. He made me feel horrible about it, and advised me that I was not going to be allowed to renege on my 'promise'; that I was to make good on it. He almost had me believing that I HAD acted in such a manner. At that time, I thought perhaps that it would be easier to just marry her and get it over with. Armando would get off my back, Arabella would be happy, and I…I would perhaps find SOME sort of happiness with her eventually. After all, you had not yet come to the school, so how could I EVER have known just how completely I would love someone? Not just be satisfied to live a life of hopefully pleasant indifference with another person. Please Minerva…all I ask is that you give this, give US, a chance. I know what I'm asking of you but…' Albus swallowed hard against the lump that was forming in his throat. 'I'm a weak man, my dear. I just want the opportunity to love someone truly, and have them love me back the same way.'_

'_That's all very well, Albus,' Minerva replied, extricating her hand from his. 'But it doesn't change the fact that you're married - even if you aren't happy.' She looked at him, tears filling her eyes, and she noticed that same thing mirrored in his own. 'Just…give me a chance to think on it, all right? I need time to think.' She insisted, her voice growing slightly hoarse from holding back her tears. 'Absolutely, Minerva. Take as much time as you need. Just don't…don't say 'no'…not right away.'_

_Silently, Minerva nodded. 'Very well. I suppose I had better get back to my own chambers; I expect Arabella will be returning soon, and I don't think she'd appreciate my visit here tonight.' 'Minerva, Arabella won't be back until Tuesday evening. That leaves us open to do whatever it is that we choose. I have one last request for you. Stay with me tonight…please?' 'Albus, really, this is ridiculous!' Minerva got up and began pacing the room. 'Although I'm CONSIDERING your offer - almost against my better judgment, to be truthful - I am not going to make love with you until I give it serious thought!' 'My dear, you misunderstand,' Albus replied. 'I am not asking you to have any sort of intimate relations with me tonight…not in that way, anyway. I merely want the chance to fall asleep, holding the woman of my dreams in my arms. That's all.' Albus rose slowly up from the couch, and held his hand out to Minerva. 'Please.' He repeated._

_Minerva was to reflect later that this moment was really the beginning of something. Whether it was of the end, or of an exciting new relationship, she wasn't certain. But this thought was not even crossing her mind at present, and she took Albus' hand firmly in hers, letting him lead her through the door across the room, and into his bed. _


	2. A Very Good Sign

Thanks for the reviews, Dream's Girl, Minerva's_Kitten, and Shallwedance9...I really appreciate it!

I didn't know if I was going to continue this story or not, but I guess I have no choice…it would drive me crazy to leave it undone. J

Oh yeah. And I still don't own any of this.

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Minerva had only been in Albus' bedroom once before, and it certainly wasn't to spend the night. She took a moment to reacquaint herself with the beautifully furnished room. Unlike the sitting room, which was decorated in red, this was done in various shades of blue. One large window filled almost the entire length of the left wall, which gave quite a stunning view of the Forbidden Forest. The wall directly opposite boasted a rather ornate armoire, and a large chest of drawers. Placed in the middle of the furthest wall was a large king sized bed. Just looking at it made butterflies flutter in Minerva's stomach.

'I had forgotten how lovely this room is, Albus. It's been quite a few years since I've been in here.' She moved slowly over to the bed, and ran her hand over the quilt on the left hand side. 'It really is lovely,' Minerva reiterated. By this time, Albus had gone to her side, and took her face in his hands.

'Not nearly as lovely as YOU are, my dear.' Leaning forward slightly, Minerva allowed him to kiss her lightly, but pulled slightly away. It really was going to take her a bit to get her head around all of this.

'Umm, Albus? I don't have a nightgown to wear. Maybe I'd better go back to my rooms and get one…I'll be right back…'

Bemused, Albus glanced down at her. 'Well, you could always wear one of Arabella's.' He suggested.

'Oh really now, that's just SICK, Albus.' Minerva chastised. 'Do you honestly expect me to wear one of your wife's nightgowns!?'

'Calm down, Minerva, I was joking.' Albus smiled at her and shook his head. 'You should know better than to think I would truly suggest such a thing. But Merlin's beard my dear…are you or are you not the Transfiguration professor? Considering you mastered the animagus transformation at 14, I would think it would be relatively easy for you to transfigure your clothing - or any other object you'd care to - into a nightgown?'

Minerva turned red at her apparent stupidity. 'Of course it is…I don't know how in the hell I managed to forget that.'

'I just think you're rather nervous. If you'd rather not do this, I promise you, you may go back to your rooms and you will remain…unmolested, let us say.' He smiled and winked at her to let her know he wasn't angry. Though he WAS rather hoping that she wouldn't take him up on the offer.

'No…no. It's fine, Albus. Perhaps I just need to calm down a bit. Do you have any fire whiskey?' She glanced around the room.

_Firewhiskey? That was what started this whole situation in the first place, _Albus thought. Still, if it would help to relax her…

'Tell you what. I'll get one of the house elves to bring us some, and in the meantime, you can transfigure a nightgown for yourself. If you think you can manage that task, of course,' he smirked.

His smirk was met with one of her own. 'I'll do what I can, Professor. However I might need your assistance at some point; you KNOW how difficult it is to transfigure clothing. I mean, it sometimes takes my second year class three or four tries to get it right, and I, my dear Professor, am no second year. Now go get us that firewhiskey, and I'll see what I can do.' Minerva shooed him out the door, and set about transfiguring her clothes. Removing her outer robe and placing it on the back of the chair, she finished undressing, transforming her undergarments into a long black satin nightgown. _Sleeveless is all right, _she decided, looking at herself in the full length mirror. _Low cut is fine, I suppose…but still, I have to observe SOME sort of decorum, _and therefore the nightgown would be ankle length.

Minerva emerged in the sitting room a few moments later, just as the house elf disappeared with a 'pop'. The firewhiskey was there, along with two glasses, an ice bucket (with ice, of course), and a carafe of water.

'I'm going to assume that you don't want your whiskey ruined by using ice or water, my dear?' Albus smiled. 'At least, you didn't at the staff party.'

'Of course not, Albus. That would be a mortal sin…' Her voice trailed off slightly at this. _Mortal sin to put water in your whiskey, but not to sleep with a married man. That's a bit twisted, isn't it, Minerva?_ She was getting rather tired of her inner voice at this point, and again, chose to ignore it, and change the subject. 'I see you've got your nightwear on as well, Albus. Thank you for making them simple red pajamas, and not something with moving objects that will either give me motion sickness, and/or keep me up all night.'

'If I were going to keep you up all night, trust me, I wouldn't want it to be because of my night apparel.' He laughed slightly. 'However…speaking of nightwear…' Albus glanced appreciatively at her outfit, but then frowned.

'Is something wrong, Albus?' Minerva followed his gaze downward. 'Too revealing, do you think?'

'No…no…not at all. And THAT'S the problem. However, I can fix that easily enough.' With a wave of his hand, he amended the hem of the nightgown so that it fell about 4 inches above her knee. 'That's better.'

'Don't you think that's a bit…high, Albus?'

'I think no such thing, Minerva. And after all, you DID mention that you'd probably need help with your clothing transfiguration, and that's what I did. Obviously, you have a problem with hemlines.'

Before Minerva could say another word, Albus grabbed the bottle of fire whiskey, and poured two glasses. Handing one to Minerva, he offered a toast. 'To the most beautiful woman that I know, who will hopefully let me get to know her even better.'

'Charming toast, Albus,' Minerva replied, rolling her eyes. 'But I haven't agreed to anything yet, remember?'

'Oh, I remember my dear…not to worry about that. But you will…very soon, you will.' He smiled and drank deeply from his glass.

'You know, I think you wasted your time here, teaching Transfiguration,' Minerva said, laughingly. 'Perhaps you should have taught Divination instead, seeing as you seem to have an aptitude for it. Or at least you THINK you do. I'll give you my answer when I'm ready to, and not a moment before. In the meantime, let's just enjoy being here together, all right?' Giving Albus's still almost full glass an amused look, she drank her whiskey down in one, handing him the glass for a refill. 'Let's have another , Albus. And you'd better catch up quickly, or there will be consequences.'

As he filled up her glass, Albus couldn't help but be intrigued as to what the consequences would be. No matter how much she protested that she hadn't made up her mind yet, he took it as a good sign that she was choosing to be with him now. Yes, this was a very good sign indeed.


	3. I Know That You're Lying

A/N: Minerva's-Kitten: Chances are that she'll say 'yes'…but yes to WHAT is the question. Not sure if she's willing to go all the way, yet. :)

Lady Morgause: Thanks for the kind comments. I'm trying not to make them too out of character, but I like them to be a little more 'human' as well. Hopefully, I'll succeed here and there. Keep your fingers crossed. :)

Don't worry…I'm planning on moving them past this first night after this chapter's over. I forgot I had this, so figured I would just throw it in here. Hope you don't mind.

P.S. Still don't own this stuff.

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'Albus,' Minerva whined, not 3 hours later, 'WHY did you force me to drink all that firewhiskey?' Quite inelegantly, she flopped down on the left side of the bed, and shut her eyes.

'I beg your pardon? FORCED you?' Albus chuckled, before realizing that laughing just made him more nauseous than he already was. 'I didn't pour it down your throat, you know.'

'No, but you got it from the house elf, and allowed me to drink it straight. The entire bottle, it seems.'

'Well, maybe an entire bottle in TOTAL…but we did have two, so I'm right there with you. It's a wonder that we're still alive, actually.' He moved slowly over to the bed, laid down to Minerva's right, put his arm around her, and gently pulled her close to him. 'Wait a minute,' he continued, after a few minutes. 'This isn't right.'

If she didn't think that it would make her vomit, Minerva would have laughed. As it was, all she could manage was a rather weak reply. 'Hang on. Isn't that MY line?'

'Indeed it is,' Albus said, contemplating her logic. 'You're quite right. Though I DO wish you'd stop saying it. However, I'm not talking about the act of cuddling. Hang on…' He removed his arm from around Minerva's shoulder, and sitting up somewhat carefully in bed, waved his hand , holding it aloft until the potion that he was seeking landed in it. 'Here, my love, drink this.' He helped Minerva to sit, and tipped half the potion into her mouth.

'Bless you, Albus,' she gasped, feeling a rush of relief flood through her body. 'I do love a good anti-hangover potion.'

'As much as you love me?' Albus asked cheekily, finishing up the rest of the potion, and giving a sigh.

'Shut it, Albus…if this is your asinine way of asking me if I love you, then you should have asked me while I was drunk. I seem to be more agreeable to saying it then. But the answer to your question is 'no', anyway.'

His eyes narrowed. 'Wait…what? You DON'T love me? Perhaps I need to get you drunk again to get the response I want. Hang on, I'm sure there's more firewhiskey SOMEWHERE in this castle…' Albus got up from the bed and headed towards the door.

'You know what, Albus? I don't think you actually bother to LISTEN when you speak.' Minerva called to him. 'You asked if I love the anti-hangover potion as much as I love you. I answered 'no'. Stupid git,' she added, laughing softly. 'Now…what was it that you were complaining about earlier? What is it that we were doing that you think is 'wrong'…all of a sudden?' She folded her arms, and watched him as he stood by the right side of the bed.

'This,' he said, pointing at the bed.

'This,' she repeated, completely confused.

'Yes, I can't sleep on this side of the bed…I NEVER sleep on this side of the bed. Never have, never will.' He replied, smugly.

'Never have? You mean it's not just Arabella that sleeps on the right? Who else exactly has BEEN in here, Albus?'

'Well, there's Arabella, of course…Poppy, Rolanda, Irma Pince, the Captain of the Girls' Gobstones club, the club members…though that's only been maybe 3 or 4 times, because it got a little crowded, oh…and Madame Rosmerta, though we find it easier to meet at HER place, where I STILL sleep on the left, if only because I continually impress her with my sexual prowess, and she knows if I don't get my way, I'll not return.' He beamed down at her. 'Well, you DID ask,' Albus reminded her.

'So I did. You ARE a pedophile, Albus. The Captain of the Gobstones club? And the members? There's not one of them that's over 14. And I KNOW that you're lying. However, since you've gone to all the effort to think up that ridiculous story, I can be gracious enough to give you your way.' Minerva smiled back at him, and slid over to the right side of the bed. 'Now get in, Albus, before I change my mind and return to my own rooms.'

'Your wish is my command, my dear.' Albus practically ran to the left side, got in, and pulled Minerva against him, holding her as tightly as he could.

'Albus?' Minerva whispered.

'Yes, love?'

'You WERE joking about all those women, weren't you?'

'Of course I was,' he laughed. 'of course.'

'Good. Because Albus, I would HATE to have to kill you in your sleep. Then you'd NEVER find out my answer.' Minerva pressed even more closely against him.

'We can't have that now, can we? Good night, love,' He whispered, kissing her head tenderly.

'Good night…git,' she chuckled.


	4. Two Dates in One Day

A/N: Sorry this has been so long in coming…real life does tend to interfere at times. :) I hope it's ok, and that you enjoy it somewhat. I'm not too sure about it, myself. But it's been rewritten 3 times, and this is as good as I can manage. Lol

I also still don't own this, and in all likelihood, I never will. Oh well.

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Sunday afternoon found Albus and Minerva deep in a section of the Forbidden Forest that Minerva was sure no one else had ever been to. Or at least that's what Albus told her when she commented about her nervousness at being discovered.

'Do you really think I would have brought you here, if I thought someone would find us Minerva?' Albus queried. 'No, I suppose not,' she replied, laughing slightly. 'I don't mean to be this way, it's just…I don't know. I'm just nervous. We're so…exposed.'

'We're not exposed. I told you that. Here Minerva, lie down for a bit. Try to relax.' Albus pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, and transfigured it into a blanket for her to lie on. Once she was settled, he laid down next to her, drawing her hand into his. 'Better?' He asked.

'Absolutely. I could be out here with you forever.'

'Well, I don't think that would be prudent,' he pointed out. 'Especially when you consider the fact that Arabella will be back in just two days' time.'

Minerva sat up, and pulled her hand from his, bristling. 'Did you have to remind me of that? Don't you think I feel bad enough about this as it is, without your having to mention her name?'

'I was merely pointing out the obvious,' Albus commented quietly. 'I didn't mean to upset you so. However, since I HAVE mentioned her, I think maybe we should talk about what we're going to do when she DOES return.'

'What do you mean, Albus? You're not planning on confronting her or something, are you?' All of the sharpness in her voice had gone, and was replaced by a quiet nervousness.

'No, no…nothing like that.' He got himself into a sitting position before continuing. 'But we're not going to be able to spend as much time together as we have been.'

'I know that. But perhaps that's a good thing.' She replied.

Albus was nothing if not good at hiding his emotions when he was stunned. 'You think? How so?'

'Do you really want to have this talk now?'

'I suppose this is as good a time as any. Go ahead. Why is it good that we not spend any time together?'

Minerva's lips thinned considerably. Was he being purposely thick? 'Well Albus, I guess for a few reasons. Like…don't you think the staff would notice if we spent all of our spare time together? They won't continue to believe the 'we have to discuss lesson plans for the term that starts in two and a half months' excuse we've been giving them the past few days. They're ALREADY talking about how we've been appearing together every morning, afternoon and evening for meals. More importantly…I'm sure Arabella would notice if I were to appear to be perpetually stuck to her husband's side? Not to mention that it would get rather crowded in the bed-'

'Interesting thought there, my dear-' Albus interrupted, smiling a bit, in spite of himself.

'Shut it, Albus,' Minerva retorted. 'Oh lord.' She stopped short. 'Albus? What time is it?'

He took the twelve handed pocket watch out, and stared at it for a moment. _Is she serious? _He thought. _In the middle of this discussion, she's asking for the time?_ Out loud he merely replied, 'Four thirty, Minerva.' Albus snapped the watch shut, and tucked it back inside a pocket of his robes. 'Why do you ask?'

'Damn it. I have to run.' Hurriedly, Minerva shot to her feet, and leaned down to help Albus to his. 'I…I have to go. Now.'

'Minerva.' Stopping short, Albus grabbed Minerva's shoulders and held her still. 'Where is it that you have to go? Especially now? We're in the middle of a conversation!'

She had to pause and catch her breath, but couldn't look him in the eye. 'I'm sorry, Albus,' she whispered. 'I have a date…with Horace.'

Albus' hands dropped to his sides as he contemplated this. 'You have a DATE? With SLUGHORN!?' Anger and jealousy were beginning to rise up within him.

'I told him I'd meet him in the Great Hall for dinner at five, and then we're due to go to the Three Broomsticks for drinks. I'm sorry Albus…but he asked me the night of the staff party, and I obviously didn't know that you and I would be…umm, involved.'

He made a great show of turning and bending down to pick up the blanket, neatly transfiguring it back into a handkerchief, and putting it away, before responding. Even having given himself time to relax a bit, he couldn't manage to keep a hold on his jealousy. 'Well, since we ARE 'involved'…you'll just have to cancel your date, won't you?'

Minerva's eyes narrowed, as she took in what he was saying. 'I most certainly will NOT. You're being ridiculous.'

'I'M ridiculous? Because I won't stand for you going off to be with some other man? This isn't a game, Minerva! I love you…and I won't have you seeing another man. Not while you're with me.' His voice was rising dangerously, something that very rarely happened. It was an unconscious warning to her, not to disagree with him.

Still, Minerva could - and WOULD - match him…temper for temper. 'Don't you dare. Don't you DARE tell me what to do, or who to see! I told you before, I will live my life as I see fit! And you have some nerve telling me that I'm not allowed to see anyone else! Am I supposed to just live my life as your MISTRESS…sitting alone in my rooms, doing NOTHING…until you determine that you have time for me? In between the times that you're playing 'house' with your wife?'

'When I determine that I have time for you? I thought you told me that it was a good thing for us NOT to have time for each other. Go on then, Minerva. Head off to the Great Hall. I'll make certain that I arrive at a decent enough interval after you so that the staff don't talk about us appearing once again at the exact same time.' He waited for her to start down the path that led to the castle, which she did, before stopping after a few steps.

'I'm really sorry, Albus. Sorry that it had to end up this way.'

He bit his lip and nodded. 'I am as well. Minerva…a favor, please?'

She stiffened slightly. 'What is it then?'

'Come to my rooms after…after your date with Slughorn. Please? I don't want it to end like this.'

'I'll think about it,' Minerva replied, before turning back again, hurrying towards the castle.


	5. Spending Time With Sluggy

A/N: This is Minerva and Sluggy right now. Albus wanted a break. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this story after this chapter, but we'll see.

Nope, still don't own it. More's the pity. Lol

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For the third time in the last ten minutes, Horace reached across the table, and took Minerva's hand in both of his. When she again tried to pull hers gently away, he tightened his grip. Using a little more force, she tried to extricate her hand once more, only to stop with a sigh when it became obvious that Horace wasn't going to let it go.

'I've had a wonderful time this evening, Minerva. I hope you've enjoyed yourself as well.' He asked, giving her a wide (and more than slightly alcohol induced) smile.

'Yes, Horace, it's been quite-'

Slughorn just HAD to interrupt at this. 'No, NO, Minerva…'Sluggy'…like you called me the other night.'

Rolling her eyes and sighing again, she capitulated. 'Yes, fine…Sluggy then. I have had a very nice time, but I really think it's time to get back. It's getting rather late.' She finally managed to remove her hand from his, and peered at her wristwatch, making sure he noticed her doing so. 'Merlin…I was quite right. It's 1:00am. Let's get going…I have to get to bed.' She got up gracefully from her seat, picked up her bag, and waited for Horace to join her.

Rising rather unsteadily to his feet, he nonetheless held out his arm for her to take. No amount of alcohol would make him forget his manners after all. Not yet, anyway.

They walked along in silence, past Scrivenshaft's, Honeyduke's and Zonko's, and Minerva was grateful for the lack of conversation. The WHOLE evening hadn't been a disaster; as a matter of fact, she was having a perfectly fine time until Horace decided to get 'lit', and turn Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. Suddenly, it was if he had more hands than the Giant Squid had tentacles.

'I don't think you're in any shape to get all the way back to your rooms, Minerva,' Slughorn slurred, speaking for the first time since they had left the pub. Minerva had been paying so much attention to her own thoughts, that she barely registered the fact that they had made it to the castle. She couldn't even remember apparating, now that she thought of it.

'I'm sorry…what?' Minerva stopped and looked at Horace as if he were mad. 'I'M not in any shape? I've had exactly one mulled mead, Horace-'

'Sluggy!' He reminded her.

'Whatever. I'm perfectly fine to walk back to my rooms. Thank you for a lovely evening…and good night.' She started up the stairway, heading as quickly as she could to her rooms, hoping that Horace wouldn't follow her.

No such luck.

As she quickened her step even more, she could hear him stumbling along behind, calling to her, and trying to catch up.

'Just a minute, Minerva…I will walk you to your rooms! I am a gentleman after all, and I want to make sure you get back safely.'

_As if I'd be lucky enough to have something attack me in the hallway and take me away from you,'_ Minerva thought bitterly. But a sudden onset of kindheartedness hit her, and she waited until Slughorn made it to her side. After all, she didn't want her conscience bothering her for the next day or so, if he fell down the stairs and killed himself or something. Now taking HIM by the arm, she pulled him along until they got to her rooms (they were much closer than his at this point), and leaned him against the wall, giving herself a second to catch her breath and give the password. As the door slid open, she took his arm again and led him through it.

'All right, Sluggy…into the bedroom. Let's go.' She was going to get him sober enough to get him to his rooms if it killed her. Which she was starting to feel was a definite possibility. It was almost as if she had to drag him now.

'I think I should go, Minerva. You know what they say, 'two's company, three's a crowd.''

She looked at Slughorn in confusion, wondering what had brought that on. It was then that she finally noticed that Horace had totally passed out - hence her need to drag him.

It wasn't he who had spoken.


	6. An Answer at Last?

A/N: I still own nothing. Not with regard to HP, anyway.

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Minerva was surprised to see him there. And truthfully, the word 'surprise' would be an understatement - for sitting in the only overstuffed chair in her sitting room was one Albus Dumbledore.

Stunned, she allowed Slughorn to slip from her grasp onto the floor. Luckily for him, the alcohol had hit him quite hard, and having passed out, he didn't seem to feel his head miss the rug, and hit the stone floor.

Minerva's eyes followed his descent to the floor, and then shifted back towards Dumbledore. 'Albus? What are you doing here? And at this hour?' She demanded.

Suddenly, he realized how foolish he looked. 'My apologies, Minerva, but I knew that you most likely wouldn't come to my rooms as I requested, so I thought I would wait for you here. Oh. Sorry…' He reached down next to the chair, and pulled out a slightly worn looking bouquet of flowers. 'They really looked nicer four hours ago,' he apologized, looking down at them, embarrassed, before thrusting them forward into her arms.

'Four HOURS ago? Merlin, Albus - we only left FIVE hours ago! You didn't honestly think we'd be back that quickly!'

'To be quite truthful, I was hoping you'd have such a miserable time that you'd come rushing back to the castle,' he explained. 'But obviously, you were enjoying yourself. At least enough to bring Slughorn back to your bedroom.'

Minerva looked down towards Slughorn again. 'Oh yes, Albus. I brought Horace back here, because I was going to have my way with him,' she said slowly. 'Which would basically amount to RAPE, because he's obviously in no condition to agree to have sex with me, now IS HE? You can be so damn idiotic at times! Does it really look like we're here for a night of passion? He has PASSED OUT.'

'There's no need to yell, Minerva,' Albus admonished. He was starting to get a bit angry. She wasn't understanding what he was trying to say (though he could admit that perhaps he wasn't as clear as he could be), and she hadn't even thanked him for the flowers. 'Can't you at least understand why I would be just a BIT jealous?'

'A bit, my ass,' she retorted, before noticing Slughorn start to stir and moan. 'We cannot have this discussion here. Any minute now, Horace will undoubtedly and unfortunately regain his consciousness, and I don't really want to waste my time by either having to explain everything to him, or hexing him because he's annoyed me for not remaining out cold.' Minerva reached down and, gripping hold of both of Slughorn's arms, began to drag him to the bedroom. 'Now if you'll be so kind as to help me move him, we can have our talk then.'

Albus gave her a strange look, then took his wand out, made a slight motion with it, which caused Horace to be lifted into the air. 'I really think you need to go back and take some more classes. This is the second time I've had to remind you that you're a witch. And for such simple spells, too.'

'Just move him!'

'Yes, ma'am.' With a slight mock salute, Albus moved Horace through Minerva's bedroom door, and situated him on the bed. He then got up, grabbed her by the arm, and marched her out of the room, into the sitting room, and out the door into the hallway. 'We're going to finish this in MY rooms.' His tone left no room for argument.

'Fine,' she muttered. No matter how powerful of a witch she was, she knew she was no match for him. If he wanted to talk in his rooms, then that was what they would do.

Five minutes later, he was giving the password, and pulling her into the sitting room, onto the sofa.

'I'm sorry,' he began, noticing her rubbing her arm where he had grabbed her. 'I didn't mean to hurt you - you know I would never do anything like that on purpose. I suppose my temper got the better of me.' Albus ran his hand over his face, and then continued, though softly this time. 'You were right, you know. I have no right to tell you what you can or can't do - or who you can or can't see.'

'Damn right you don't!' Minerva snapped.

'Please calm down. I'm trying to admit my mistake here, and you are NOT making it easier. I should have said that I would appreciate it if you wouldn't see anyone else, but I that cannot demand it of you. I really have no right to talk, have I? Considering Arabella and all.'

Minerva had never seen Albus look so defeated before, and it melted her heart. 'No, you haven't any right to demand those things of me, but I understand. Arabella was around before we began any…relationship. It's almost as if I were teasing you by being with you, and then leaving abruptly to be with Horace. Not to mention that I never bothered to even warn you about our date. Or the fact that I have yet to give you an answer to your question.'

In that brief moment, Albus saw a glimmer of hope. Perhaps she wasn't too angry at him after all. Perhaps she wouldn't leave him flat. 'I didn't want to mention it - and I don't want to push it. Take all the time you need. If our relationship never progresses past the occasional hand holding under the Head Table, or the times I can fall sleep with you in my arms, or chaste kisses…that's all right with me. I love you; it's as simple as that. A thousand dates with Horace wouldn't change that.' Glad that he got that off his chest, he leaned back on the sofa, and pulled her against his body, wrapping his arms around her. 'So. Did you have fun?' He asked lightly, before kissing her head.

'It was fine, I suppose. We don't have TOO much in common, except for the fact that apparently both of us tend to make asses of ourselves when we consume too much alcohol. But you know what the best part of the evening was for me, Albus?'

'What was that, my dear?'

'Finding you there in my sitting room.' She smiled broadly. 'I was going to come directly to your rooms you know. You didn't need to worry about that.' She gave a sudden giggle. 'You looked so cute…and those poor, wilted flowers,' Minerva laughed. 'They are the most beautiful things I have ever seen, and I will keep them forever.'

'That's quite a long time, you know.'

'I know. But I WANT to do it. When you love someone, you want to keep reminders of the sweet things they do around you always. And I do love you, Albus. I didn't need a date with Sluggy to tell me that, either. All I could think of all night was you. Poor man; I actually called him 'Albus' a couple of times, and had to think fast to make up excuses for that.'

Albus pulled Minerva up onto his lap, and cuddled her for a few moments. 'He'll have to get over it, won't he?'

'I suppose he will. Now, Albus Dumbledore, how about if I answer your question at last?'


	7. One Last Discussion

A/N: I don't own Albus. I don't own Minerva. I don't even own Sluggy (though I DO own his nickname. Maybe). None of the characters (thus far) are mine, and I claim nothing.

A few issues: 1) I apologize for being overly heavy on dialogue, and very light on descriptions. Don't know how I'm going to remedy this, but hopefully it won't ruin the story for you. 2) Still don't know if I'm going to continue this, but we'll see. 3) Thanks for the reviews, and please, continue to do so! I'm pathetic, and not above begging. :)

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'The answer is 'yes', Albus.' Minerva leaned slightly towards Albus, eagerly awaiting his reaction. Which she wasn't getting.

Not only wasn't she getting a reaction, Albus looked as if he were going to be sick. He merely sat there, looking straight ahead, as if in a trance.

'Albus? ALBUS?' Minerva got up off of his lap, and slid onto the seat next to him. 'Earth to Albus!' No response. 'What the hell is wrong with you?' Still, no response. Perhaps another tack was in order.

'Albus…I'm leaving to go to Sluggy's room for a night of unbridled passion.'

The response came in a distracted mumble. 'Yes, all right…have a nice time.'

'Instead of that, maybe I'll go to the Astronomy Tower and throw myself off it.'

'Take a sweater, it's a bit chilly.'

'I'm pregnant.'

That did it. Albus' head snapped to look at her, as he suddenly came back to himself. 'You're what?'

'Oh don't worry…it's not yours. I'm not sure whose it is, actually.'

Albus stared at her in complete shock, his mouth gaping.

'Close your mouth, dear. It was a joke. I'm not pregnant.' She clarified, when he continued to stare. 'Darling, what's the problem? I just told you that I want to be your lover. I thought you wanted the same thing. Have you changed your mind?'

He shook his head 'no', but remained silent. It wasn't that he was second guessing himself - he DID want to pursue a relationship with Minerva - but he was truly realizing for the first time that what he was asking of her was, in a word, selfish. She was making all the concessions, and taking most of the risk, and he had to make certain that she was well aware of all of this before they continued.

'Minerva, please don't misunderstand me, I'm very happy with your response. I am.'

'Well, I'm glad to hear that at least,' she smiled. 'But then why do you look so UNhappy?'

'Because I don't know that you've truly thought about what I'm asking of you.'

Minerva dropped her head, and cradled it in her hands. 'This 'stop and go' routine of yours is getting on my nerves, you know that, right? What is it that you WANT from me, Albus?' She got up and began to pace the room. 'YOU asked ME to be your lover, NOT vice versa, and just when I've decided to give you the answer that I THOUGHT you'd want, you decide to put the brakes on! You are so damn infuriating!' Punctuating her point, she pounded her fist on a nearby table before visibly calming herself somewhat, and turning back to him. 'All right. We are going to have exactly ONE more discussion about this. I want you to tell me EXACTLY what you're feeling right now, all of your concerns. I will then give you my answer - my FINAL answer, because once I make that particular decision, that will be it. I won't go back and change my mind. Is this agreeable to you, Albus?'

A cold shiver of dread went down Albus' spine. He was so confused! He wanted Minerva - in every way, shape and form, there was no question about that in HIS mind - but he wanted to make sure that she wasn't agreeing because he had pressured her.

'Yes Minerva, it's agreeable. I do love you, and I do want you for my own…but I also want you to make an informed decision.' He rose to his feet, but didn't go near Minerva. He instead chose to walk to the other side of the room, where he began fiddling with various instruments on his desk. 'You know that unless I can rid myself somehow of Arabella, I might not ever be able to give you what you want.'

'God. You really are RUBBISH at the whole 'getting-someone-to-be-your-mistress' thing, aren't you? What is it that I want, Albus? Please, enlighten me.' Her green eyes narrowed.

'Marriage…a family. The same thing most women want. I'm assuming you do, anyway. Do you?' He looked over at her, the pain evident in his eyes.

'Thank you for asking me.' Various sarcastic remarks were on the tip of her tongue, but she made the effort to bite them back. They needed to work this out calmly, not with vicious words and arguments. Honesty was going to be the best policy here. 'In a perfect world, my answer would be 'yes', of course.'

Albus bit his lip, but didn't reply. He merely nodded.

'However. This is NOT a perfect world, and the man that I would want to be married to, and whose children I'd want to bear, is already married. Which obviously complicates things a bit. But whatever. I would LIKE those things, but just having you is enough for me.'

_For now, _Albus thought. Brushing this aside, he continued. 'There's also the fact that you're only 26-'

'Yes, and you're 66. I'm glad to see that we're each aware of the other's age.'

'Amusing, Minerva. You're young now, and perhaps satisfied with what we have - but what if you decide years from now that you want something more? You'll end up resenting me for taking your youth.'

Instead of answering him, she walked over and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. 'Allow me to put your mind at ease, my love. I will never resent you, Albus. You are not forcing me to do anything that I don't want to, and as I said, as long as I have you, I can do without a formal marriage and children. I have your heart…that will be enough for me.'

When Albus finally pulled back and looked into Minerva's eyes, he saw all of her love for him there, and knew she could see his for her reflected back. 'Merlin. I do love you Minerva McGonagall.'

'And I love you too, Albus Dumbledore. Don't ever doubt that.'

'I won't.'

In a seemingly effortless move, he lifted her into his arms, and carried her towards the bedroom.

'Damn!' He exclaimed. 'Damn!'

'What's the problem, Albus?' Minerva laughed.

'I can't get the door to the bedroom open. My hands are full,' Albus explained. 'Could you get the door, please?'

'Uh huh.' She stared at him, disbelieving, and then reached down and pulled the handle.

'Thank you, my love, and I'm sorry. I know that was terribly unromantic. I hope it didn't break the mood.' Albus laid her gently down on the bed, and began to remove her robes, kissing her in different places, as they became exposed. As he kissed her stomach, Minerva began to giggle uncontrollably, causing Albus to stop abruptly.

'Ticklish, are you?' He asked, grinning at her.

'Nope.' She tried to stop, but couldn't. Her giggling became even louder.

'Then why are you laughing?' Confusion was now evident on his face.

'Because. Are you or are you not the man who is being lauded as the greatest wizard of the age, the vanquisher of Grindelwald, a man who used to impress and delight his 5th year classes by performing amazing feats of wandless magic…'

'I don't know that I agree with the greatest wizard of the age idea, and I fail to see your point, but continue…'

'My point is, you ARE all those things, and lately you've been chastising ME for forgetting that I'm a witch when performing simple tasks, but you couldn't even manage to wandlessly open a bedroom door. I had to do it FOR you.'

Albus colored red for a brief moment, then began to laugh along with her, collapsing on top of her as the humor of the situation got the better of him.

Only when a flash of red light illuminated the room a minute later, did both occupants of the bed stop laughing.


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